Coventry Rugby 61 Moseley 21 - the shirt, the game, the vibe...

It just started quietly and grew

And believe it or not

Now there's something groovy and good 'bout whatever we got

And it's getting better

Growing stronger, warm and wilder

Getting better every day, better everyday

I don't feel all turned on and starry eyed

I just feel a sweet contentment deep inside...

It's Getting Better - Mama Cass

In the end, Coventry Rugby's first of two just pre-season friendlies did provide a crowd of just over 1600 with the try-fest it had been hoping for, but it took a while for Cov to settle down and produce the kind of attacking, expansive rugby that has become the hallmark Alex Rae's teams over the last couple of seasons.

Part of that was down to so many new faces starting their first game in a Cov shirt in front of supporters who had come in their numbers to watch Cov beat the old foe.

The different line-ups in each half, except for Daniel Okeke and Dafydd-Rhys Tiueti, made it challenging for the players to settle, particularly because the first-half XV included more new recruits than that of the second-half.

So it was no surprise that Cov struggled to find any real rhythm early doors and with Moseley very competitive early on and eager to make the best of whatever possession they had, the game was perhaps more competitive than some in the stands had expected.

While it provided an opportunity for the coaches to give all the available Coventry squad a solid 40-minute run in a competitive setting, for Moseley it served as its final preparation before the beginning of the start of the season proper.

Both teams likely had slightly different objectives for the match, but credit to Moseley for demonstrating their willingness to challenge themselves against Championship-level opponents. Throughout the first half, any minor success, such as winning a penalty at a scrum or capitalizing on a Coventry error, was met with enthusiastic cheers and shouts from the Moseley players.

Make no mistake, they were up for it.

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We reached the stadium just before 1:00 pm, giving us the opportunity to do a few laps and soak in the ambiance as the excitement mounted for the 3:00 pm kick-off. The compulsory bag search remains in place this season, a fixture these days to prevent the likes of me bringing in anything approaching a healthy snack for consumption within the ground or, indeed, a picnic of sorts for a grandson who shouldn't be eating greasy burgers and/or chips but for whom there is little else available. It's such a poor stand to take, especially for a club that is a such a keen advocate of mental and physical well-being.

While I understand that Food Heroes is a major sponsor of Coventry Rugby and the food consumed from its van probably contributes significantly to the club's match day revenue, I am really disappointed that all other food options have been removed over the last year, healthy or otherwise. It is disheartening for me to see supporters being limited to only The Food Heroes. It's hardly 'heroic'. I can't describe just how depressing it was to witness my three-and-a-half-years-old grandson having to share a very unhealthy burger with his dad simply because there were no other food choices available and his dad had been unable to bring any other foods into the ground.

For many, enjoying a burger is very much a part of the match day experience, and long may it continue to be so, but for those not able to consume such cholesterol-inducing foods, or those who simply don't want to, the opportunity either to have a bit of choice or, better still, to be able to bring in your own food would seem a far health-friendly option.

Rant over.

And in fairness to the club, my 16 years-old grandson has no problem with it....

The news that the new kit would be available from the club shop was bound to create plenty of interest and first impressions of the home shirt have been very favourable, especially the addition of the collar on the supporters' version.

I'm sure the wide hoops and traditional look will prove a winner with most fans; something which might not be the case with the away shirt.

It's a bit of a Marmite one for me. Supporters appear divided into two camps over this one:

Either:

What could possibly be the reason behind mixing bubble gum pink with faded Miami Vice turquoise to create a baby shower banner on the jersey, confusing those who are unsure if they are going to a rugby game or a gender reveal party?

Wearing such a shirt might lead players to be penalized simply for daring to wear it.

Or:

There's something undeniably bold about the away kit. Screw tradition, let's make a statement in this, our centenary year. Love it or hate it, you're going to get yourself noticed. It's vibrant and sends out a clear message that the club is moving with the times. It's a statement of a shirt and the statement says daring.

For me, though, it's more of a novelty shirt for a charity event (similar to the NHS one from a few years ago - which I bought) rather than what you'd expect of a Coventry Rugby strip. The bright colours will make it stand out and it will be memorable for sure, but it's not 'classy' as such. I'd wear it, but given a choice between the two, the home strip wins hands down.

Josh (my grandson) received his GCSE results this week, and in recognition of his efforts and results this year, I said I would treat him to either shirt.

He went into the club shop with the intention of purchasing the away strip but came out with the home.

'Nuff said.

Certainly, there were a few away shirts on show in the crowd, but far more of the home strip.

A crowd of 1608 on a wet bank holiday Saturday was a good turnout and in the end most will have left the ground fairly content with what they saw. There's clearly a lot of things that need working on and they'll be other combinations both among both forwards and backs that will need to be tried before the coaches settle on their starting XV for the Scottish game, but the supporters will have seen enough to know that the squad potentially looks every bit as good as that of last season, even with the absence of the likes of Rigg, Pellegrini, Chudley, Wand et al.

First sight of the new Cov drone recording the game from the carpark end of the ground

James Tyas popped over to say hello, as he so often does, and he seemed really pleased with the way training had gone so far in the pre-season.

Whilst recovering from surgery over the summer, he has obviously been working hard behind the scenes and was particularly looking forward to seeing the results of all the data/info that would be available from the game. The club had managed to gain approval from the RFU for the use of a drone that would be operated from the car park. The game was being recorded from 5 different angles, which meant that there would be an abundance of footage to go through. Even though Steve Boden wouldn't be there to see the game, he'd have coverage of every scrum and/or lineout. There really is no hiding place anymore...

Steve B had asked James to detail, by live text, notification of every scrum and lineout during the game, such is the dedication of the new coach (and indeed, James!). You get the feeling that the club is constantly improving its own self-analysis using every method at its disposal. The club is professional these days in every sense of the word.

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Once the game got underway, it was evident that this was very early on in Cov's preparations for the season ahead. Although there was no shortage of effort out there, there was a lack of cohesion, especially in teh first half, with offloads and passes not quite finding the man, passes fumbled, players slightly out of position, and the odd tackle missed.

All the kinds of issues that will resolve themselves with a bit more game time.

As I mentioned earlier, Moseley looked a little sharper and with plenty of pace out wide they caused Cov a few problems early on, stretching us out wide and managing to get behind our defences

There was plenty of chat about the influence of Steve Boden before the game, of the work he's been doing with the scrum in particular. Against Moseley, we didn't dominate in the set piece quite as much as perhaps I might have expected but it's early days and it's all too easy to make snap judgements as perhaps I (and others) was guilty of 12 months ago when we struggled to dominate the Leicester Lions' forwards in last year's pre-season friendly.

It was a tight, well-contested first 40 minutes and at 21-14 at the break, Cov certainly hadn't had it all its own way.

It was to be a very different story second half.

With so many of the second-half side being part of last season's squad, from the whistle the tempo was much quicker and the understanding far better than we had seen in the first half. Part-timers Moseley soon began to feel the pace, and holes began to appear where earlier there had been a solid defensive wall. Coventry stepped up the gears, and Moseley had no answer and began to look very ragged as the Cov backs took full advantage of some tired opposition legs.

While it hadn't been particularly exciting in the first half for Cov supporters, the first group of players had worked, tired the opposition and in the second half, we were dominant.

Tommy Mathews on crutches immediately after the game yesterday

The injury to Tommy Mathews towards the end of the first half is definitely worrying. He had already begun to attract attention beyond Coventry even before the season has begun, with a detailed article about him in The Rugby Paper a couple of weekends ago and additional mentions of him in a recent article (also in TRP) about Coventry. Although he'd had a relatively uneventful game before getting injured, he had shown enough to indicate that he possesses a powerful right foot...

There's still three weeks before the next friendly v Chinnor so hopefully there's enough time for him to recover, but it did look a little ominous. The other first choice 10, Liam Richman, doesn't look like he's ready to play just yet so that might be a concern.

Other players who stood out for me in the first half were Hinkley and Barton (thanks, Paul). Hinkley had one mesmeric run and clearly has pace and a side step that reminded me of a Prem quality, and former Cov favourite, Brett Daynes, whilst Snow looked very sharp and controlled play well.

In the second half, Tom Ball carried on from where he left off last season, causing havoc on the opposition throw and creating gaps for tries both for himself and James Martin. Charlie Robson showed pace and a degree of physicality that makes him a possible starter either at 15 or out wide. Okeke became more prominent the longer the game went on and Hitchcock showed exactly why everyone was so pleased when he decided to make his move to Cov a full-time one at the back end of last season.

Whilst there's options in all positions at the moment, the back row is the most intriguing area for me. With Kvesic to return and Okeke, Ball, Owen, Nayalo and Hinkley all starting strongly, there are going to be some tough choices to make.

Chairman Jon Sharp shows of the Harry Walker Trophy to the Cov faithful

In the end, Cov were run away winners to retain the Harry Walker Trophy for another year - it would have been a huge surprise had they not in all honesty. But the Championship club were made to work hard in that first half and there's still much work needed of Cov is to be ready to face Scottish at the RAG in a month's time.

Is just one more friendly, and presumably that will be closer to a proper competitive game than this was, enough to get them up and running?

I guess only time will tell, but Alex Rae and the coaches seem to have the Midas Touch right now and we have to assume that they are where they need to be right now. Certainly, there were glimpses of what we hope to see later on when the campaign kicks off for real.

Cov has progressed year on year for the last three seasons and there's much to be hopeful about. Speaking to those at the game yesterday, most are anticipating a top two finish with the 'P' word (play-off, that is) quietly being mentioned amongst the more optimistic.

Me, I'm just going to enjoy the ride and see where the season takes us.

After all, the club is:

Growing stronger, warm and wilder

Getting better every day, better everyday

I don't feel all turned on and starry eyed

I just feel a sweet contentment deep inside

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